10² Club

Francis Levine Marks 101st Birthday at Launching of New York 10² Club

On her 101st birthday, January 12, 2005, library patron Francis Levine became the first member of the New York Public Library's 10² Talking-Book Club. In a ceremony held in her honor at the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking-Book Library, Steve Prine, head of Network Services for the Library of Congress National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, presented Ms. Levine with a letter, plaque, pin and a surprise birthday cake.

An active 101-year-old New Yorker, Ms. Levine said this was only the second certificate she had received in her life. The first certificates were her parents' naturalization papers. First generation Russian immigrants to America, Ms. Levine's parents came to New York before the 1892 opening of Ellis Island and were processed at the Castle Garden Center on the southwestern tip of Manhattan.With more than a century of knowledge at her disposal, Ms. Levine uses New York's Talking-Book Service to keep up with current trends.

When offered a piece of birthday cake, Ms. Levine paused, thought, and commented, "To heck with the carbs!"At the conclusion of the event, Ms. Levine stated, "I want to thank everyone and express my appreciation. This has been a great honor. Now I am going home to read The Da Vinci Code."